Oneshot: The Guardian's columns had many adverse effects on the people of Britannia. Apparently inducing stupidity was among them. After all, why else would you have Mondain's skull on display for the world to see?

Strange, as in now. Not strange as in "wow, this is one crazy world." Over the years of his own time, and centuries of time that passed on Britannia, the Avatar had gotten used to it. Had gotten used to sorcerers, demons and a certain red head that called himself the Guardian. No, it was strange now. Strange, because everything was different, ranging from the new layout of Castle British to him forgetting what a paladin was. And right now, in the Royal Museum, the strangeness was being piled on.

"Are you alright, Avatar?" Aleena asked. "You seem awfully quiet."

"I'm fine…fine…"

He wasn't. He was confused. Confused that Aleena was somehow unaffected by the columns. Confused that despite the fact the runes displayed at the museum were stolen over twenty years ago, their display cases hadn't been fixed or removed. Confused that the museum was brimming with noise yet was seemingly empty, as if this was a computer program and someone had forgotten to add NPCs. And he was especially confused at the item displayed in front of him.

Mondain's skull.

It was unbelievable. It was absurd. It was beyond anything the Avatar had seen on Britannia or even Pagan. But there it was. And to top it off, it had a description to go with it.

Skull of the notorious Mondain, the skull of the evil wizard who threatened our land during the first Age of Darkness.

"Mondain's skull," Aleena said, as if the Avatar couldn't read or even see. "You are familiar with it, are you not?"

"Oh yes," the Avatar murmured. "Quite familiar."

That was an understatement, the warrior reflected. Mondain. The first evil he'd ever faced, back in the day when Britannia was called Sosaria. The skull that, if used, would eradicate all living beings in a given area. A skull that was destroyed when he used it to gain access to the Stygian Abyss. A skull that was out there, in the open, ready for anyone to steal as easily as the runes had been. Or be used. Certainly the Guardian seemed intent on destroying Britannia and all who dwelt on it and with that rationale, the skull seemed to solve the second objective easily.

It was a thick skull, the Avatar noticed.

And glancing at Aleena, remembering everything he'd seen on this trip, and everything he said, the Avatar reflected that the skulls of Britannia's people seemed to be equally thick.

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